For many years utility companies have used telemetry to remotely obtain readings from utility meters. The development of the X10® protocol led to an increased adoption of remote monitoring and/or control of devices. The X10® protocol uses existing power lines to communicate with remote devices.
In addition to the X10® protocols, there are a number of other protocols that have been developed that provide for remote monitoring and/or control of devices, including 802.15.4, Zigbee®, Z-Wave®, and Insteon®. Each of these protocols is incompatible with the other protocols, and accordingly requires a separate controller. The different protocols involve different frequency bands, modulation and/or control signals. The proliferation of different incompatible protocols will likely greatly hinder the adoption of these protocols.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and method of controlling control and/or monitoring devices. An exemplary controller includes a communication interface coupled to one or more control and/or monitoring devices via a communication medium and a software defined radio coupled to the communication interface. The controller also includes a processor coupled to the software defined radio. The processor includes logic to identify a communication protocol of the one or more control and/or monitoring devices and logic to instruct the software defined radio to employ the determined communication protocol for communications with the one or more control and/or monitoring devices.
An exemplary method of processing data by a controller includes monitoring a communication interface, and determining whether a new device is detected on the communication interface. The method also includes determining a protocol of the new device, and instructing a software defined radio to communicate with the new device using the determined protocol.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.